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Nora had been shell-shocked up till now but found her tongue. “Myles, I know that I kept you away from Drake. And now, I’m here to reunite you in a way that… well, I don’t even know how to say this…” She choked up. This was huge for her. The enormity of this moment far exceeded what it was to me. Though we both loved Drake with all our might, Myles was only a stranger to me. These two had history.
Even though I, too, was desperate to save Drake’s life, this was easier for me. I took over again as Nora visibly struggled to say what needed to be said. “Myles, I’m Drake’s girlfriend and I love your son. I want to be with him until we’re old. He’s the kindest, strongest, most intelligent, talented man in the world. I want to marry him.”
This wasn’t what I was supposed to be saying either. Fuck, saying out loud that the love of your life was dying just didn’t come easily.
“Are you asking me to your wedding?” He sounded hopeful.
“I’m asking you to give us one.”
His eyes widened. “I’ve given everything to this charity. I don’t have any money, but if I had it, I would…”
“Myles,” Nora’s voice finally came out again. “Drake has a terminal illness. It’s a blood disease, and he is very likely to need a bone marrow transplant.”
Myles’ gaze lowered. “You think I could be a match?”
“Maybe,” Nora said. “Would you get tested to see?”
Straight in with it. Go on with your bad self, Nora.
Myles looked up at her. “You never had any other kids?”
A palatable moment passed between them. A moment where a person realized that all they’d imagined had happened without them, never did, and illusion came crashing down.
She shook her head. “Never moved on really. I dedicated my life to Drake and I don’t regret it. But a mom should never…”
She couldn’t finish. A mom should never see her child die before her.
“The thing is, Mr. Owens…”
“Call me Myles…”
“Thing is, Myles, we aren’t going to even have luck with the national registry. Since Drake is multiracial, there’s very little chance he’ll find anyone in the registry. Apparently, there are very few multiracial donors, and bone marrow matches do often align with ethnicity. I don’t want to say you’re our only hope. I have lots of hope.” At that, my voice warbled. Pebbles ground in my throat, and my eyes watered.
“I’ll never stop hoping for your son,” I had to choke back tears, “but if you can do one thing to help him. Even if you don’t help him as a son. Just as a human. Because he’s one hell of a human… maybe you could do this? Just get tested. That’s all we ask. I’ll pay for it, so…”
He shook his head. “I need to think about this.”
My chest emptied as if a vacuum sucked the life out of it. When people had to think about something, it was often to figure out how to say “no” as nicely as possible.
Nora started to plead. “Myles, I know I kept you away…”
He waved his hand. “Stop. That’s not necessary. I know what happened, too. I was there.” He swiped his palm over his mouth. “I’d like to talk to Drake about this. This is a lot to take in. Why isn’t he here?”
Nora and I looked at each other. Then back at Myles.
“Does he even know you two are here?” The expressions on our faces must have answered loud and clear. “Ah shit. Are you serious? Well, now I really need to talk to him. We’ve never even met. This is… aren’t there consent issues around this kind of thing?”
“Noooo,” I bit my lip, “but there’s maybe more at stake than that. At this point, I really don’t care if I get in trouble for trying to save Drake’s life. I’d be happy break some consent laws over this, but if you’re not in, Myles, and then we reunite you and Drake? It’s a lot of drama for nothing. It’s not fair to him.”
Somehow, I pulled myself together. Shaky girlfriend was gone, and ruthless negotiating lawyer was in. “Your son is dying, Myles. You don’t know him, but I’d like to think if you work in a place like this? You’re probably a decent guy. Even if he was a stranger, I’m sure you’d have compassion and not want to bring drama into a person’s last year of life. He deserves to have a good year. If this is only to have a meeting, I can’t guarantee it’ll go well, you know? End of the day, he’s lived nearly thirty years without knowing you.”
Nora and Myles shared an intense gaze. I expected Nora to say sorry. Sorry for keeping Drake away. But a thirty-year-old understanding passed through the air between them, so strong you could practically see it like an invisible enchantment. They were still tethered by a reluctant agreement that over the years, they both had decided was for the best. Myles was first to smile. Nora offered a crooked one in return. What had happened was for the best. They both knew it.
Now Drake was the only one who didn’t.
Myles lifted his eyebrows. “You’re direct, Maeve.” He tensed his lips into a line. “My son must be one hell of guy to pick a woman like you. We’ve been in here for,” he looked at his watch, “less than ten minutes, and I’ve been updated on my estranged son, reunited with my first love, and asked to donate a body part. Efficient.”
This time, I laughed. Hoping this, too, was a joke.
